FC St. Pauli NYC’s Immigrants’ Rights Fundraiser Upholds the Inclusive Spirit of the Main Club

Most professional soccer clubs encrust themselves in a thick, corporate veneer — the pursuit of “neutrality” their guiding principle. But FC St. Pauli is different.

The club, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga, is regarded for its commitment to social justice, inclusion and progressive values. It may be the most socially conscious soccer club in the world. And its supporters here in New York City uphold that mission.

According to the supporters’ club’s website, fans gather at East River Bar in Williamsburg to “watch FCSP matches tape-delayed in convivial camaraderie while upholding the proud St. Pauli tradition of standing firmly against racism, sexism, homophobia, and fascism.”

The club also sponsors FC Lampedusa, a Hamburg-based team made up of North African refugees who were stuck at Italy’s Lampedusa Island refugee camp.

“FC Lampedusa Hamburg wants to create awareness and draw attention to the evils of European refugee policy and the situation of refugees in Hamburg, in Germany, and in the wider European Community,” says the club’s website.

In Yorkshire, England, the local St. Pauli’s supporters’ club established the Football for All program to purchase kits, boots, and shinguards for more than 160 participants, mostly immigrants and refugees in the Leeds area.

One comment

[…] few days after FC St. Pauli NYC donated more than $1,500 to the Immigrant Defense Project — a fundraiser you can read about here on this website — the leaders of the socially conscious supporters’ group exchanged emails with Soccer In […]